Engine Room

SURRENDER’s Engine Room Training Days are for passionate youth and young adult leaders, pastors and workers across Victoria. We want to help you engage in seeking the Kingdom come in your local community and global world, and seek to support and encourage you to express justice and mission.

Engine Room is a space to practically equip and encourage you to journey with young people and communities whilst integrating your faith in the every day practical outworking of your discipleship. We want to encourage you to be part of reshaping the church by journeying with peers in a radical conversation around what it means to follow Jesus to the least, the last and the lost.

SURRENDER’s Engine Room Training Days are for passionate youth and young adult leaders, pastors and workers across Victoria. We want to help you engage in seeking the Kingdom come in your local community and global world, and seek to support and encourage you to express justice and mission.

Engine Room is a space to practically equip and encourage you to journey with young people and communities whilst integrating your faith in the every day practical outworking of your discipleship. We want to encourage you to be part of reshaping the church by journeying with peers in a radical conversation around what it means to follow Jesus to the least, the last and the lost.

The Circle of Courage – building resiliency in young people (Gregg Morris, Praxis)

The Circle of Courage is a resiliency model that integrates the best of Western educational thought with the wisdom of indigenous cultures and emerging research on positive youth development. It is based in four growth needs: belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. This session will introduce you to the model through the stories, activities and insights of the Praxis Network.

Community development and building collaborative partnerships (Gemma Bell, Fusion Australia)

People often spend their life waiting for their unique call to mission… Are we waiting for a call that has already come? What if where you live is where you are called, and the need in your local area is the purpose you have been made for? Find out how to discover the real needs in your local area and your purpose in His Story.

Walking with and supporting young people with mental health issues (Bruce Tucker, Concern Australia)

Mental health issues for young people brings a layer of complexity and sometimes chaos in our work with young people and to youth programs within churches.

Gaining some insight into the world of young people who are experiencing mental health issues will assist in providing a better response and inclusion for young people on the margins.

Workshop will include:

Discussion and exploration of how our worldview around mental health issues impacts our work with young people with mental health issues

A young person sharing about their personal journey with mental health issues across their teenage years and some insights on what might have made a difference

Developing some considerations for walking with and supporting young people with mental health issues for youth programs and churches

Mobilising middle class Christians (Tim Johnson, TEAR)

It is really easy to become cynical, frustrated and fed up with ‘The Church' and while we know there are challenges, the church is God's primary kingdom vehicle. This workshop is a dialogue about how we can think seriously about discipleship in ways that don’t segregate, ostracise or hurt people - In particular we will explore what it means to mobilise middle class young people for kingdom action. Hear how you can encourage your faith community to be a part of God’s restorative work.

PANEL

Dusk Liney (Inspirit Creative & Heaven on Earth)

Dusk is a bit like a cat - she's lived almost nine lives as she's searched to live out her part in God's plan for healing the world around us. This has involved being a Pentecostal youth leader, retail chick, community house leader, India traveller, house churchgoer, social justice educator, SURRENDER Director (previous), and creative thinker at Inspirit Creative. The common denominator seems to be a love for walking alongside people and searching for healing and wholeness together.

In her neighbourhood, Dusk is part of a community called Heaven on Earth - a group of culturally diverse women living in a densely populated, multicultural area in Footscray. Together the group seeks to connect with fellow migrant and refugee women (and children) who are experiencing social isolation and mental health issues. Over the years, Heaven on Earth has sought to promote social connections and wellbeing, developing a stronger community identity, sense of belonging and cultural vibrancy. The group runs a weekly English conversation class with people of all faiths - Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Harikrishna - who have taught Dusk what it looks like to love God and love your neighbour.

David Wilson (Urban Seed)

David Wilson is the CEO of Urban Seed. He has been working in the Community Sector for over 40 years in Community Services, Education, Psychology and Counseling, Public Theology and Local Politics. He has degrees in theology, psychology, and social science and is passionate about community development and social justice. David and Debbie have 4 adult children and 14 grandchildren.

Paul Sparks (Parish Collective)

Paul Sparks is Co-Founder of the Parish Collective, a network of over 200 Churches and Community Organizations that are established in particular neighborhoods, and linked across the United States and Canada. As a recognized authority on parish renewal, he is a frequent speaker and consultant for groups seeking to understand the transition toward more local forms of everyday ecclesial life. Paul lives in an urban neighborhood at the heart of Downtown Tacoma, Washington with his co-conspiring wife Elizabeth. They curate a growing faith community comprised of friends, artists, and entrepreneurs seeking a common life together with their neighbours.